Jose Alvarez

Alvarez recorded just two outs for the Angels in 2014 due to injury concerns, but was able to become a useful piece of the bullpen last season after snagging a longman role in spring training, finishi...

The Angels acquired Alvarez from the Tigers in March for backup infielder Andrew Romine, seizing an opportunity to add depth to what was then a shaky bullpen when Jose Iglesias was ruled out for the season due to stress fractures in his legs. After tossing 38.2 innings with the Tigers in 2013 and posting a 5.82 ERA in 14 games (six starts), Alvarez spent most of his time last season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he notched a 6.75 ERA in 30.1 innings over six starts. It's expected that Cesar Ramos, who was acquired from the Rays in November, is going to be the top lefty out of the bullpen, but Alvarez's experience as a starter could give him the opportunity to compete for the final spot in the rotation, as Tyler Skaggs is expected to miss the entire season after having Tommy John surgery in August.

2014

Alvarez made his major league debut in 2013, making 14 appearances while splitting time between the Tigers’ rotation and bullpen. The 25-year-old southpaw failed to impress, finishing the season 1-5 with a 5.82 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 31:16 K:BB ratio in 38.2 innings. Despite the rocky debut in the majors, Alvarez flashed potential while pitching for Triple-A Toledo last season. In 21 appearances (20 starts) for the Mud Hens, Alvarez went 8-6 with a 2.80 ERA and 115:25 K:BB ratio over 128.2 innings. With a fastball that typically sits in the high-80s to low-90s range, Alvarez doesn’t overpower hitters, but he’s shown the ability to mix four additional above-average pitches (cutter, changeup, curveball and slider) to keep hitters off balance. The Tigers' rotation is full heading into 2014, which should earmark Alvarez for a spot as a lefty specialist and/or long man out of the bullpen, but he is one step closer to the rotation after Detroit traded Doug Fister to Washington in December.